The Pursuit of Gender Equality
An Uphill Battle
Published on October 04, 2017
Also available in: French

Gender inequalities persist in all areas of social and economic life and across countries.
Young women in OECD countries generally obtain more years of schooling than young
men, but women are less likely than men to engage in paid work. Gaps widen with age,
as motherhood typically has marked negative effects on gender pay gaps and career
advancement. Women are also less likely to be entrepreneurs, and are underrepresented
in private and public leadership positions.The 2013 and 2015 OECD Gender Recommendations
provide guidance on how to advance gender equality in education, employment, entrepreneurship
and public life; this book discusses recent developments in these areas in one overview
chapter and 24 short chapters which each include key findings and policy recommendations.
Topics include violence against women, gender budgeting, the unequal sharing of unpaid
work, labour market outcomes and migration. The book presents a range of indicators
illustrating gender gaps. It also discusses recent policy initiatives, such as pay
transparency measures to reduce gender wage gaps and policy reform aimed at fathers
taking parental leave. Overall, progress has been slow and there is a strong need
for further policy action to close gender gaps in education, employment, entrepreneurship
and public life.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword and acknowledgements | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Acronyms and conventional signs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Executive summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gender equality: A global overview5 chapters available
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Gender equality in education5 chapters available
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Gender equality in employment13 chapters available
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Gender equality in entrepreneurship2 chapters available
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oVERVIEW & MEDIA
- Press release: Progress on gender equality far too slow, says OECD
- Overview (English & Arabic)
Social media highlights:
- Out now! New report on how progress is far too slow in the pursuit of #GenderEquality. It's an Uphill battle
- On average, full-time working #women paid almost 15% less than men. See the #GenderPayGap in your country
- #Violence against #women, #GenderPayGap, & unpaid work are top gender priorities of OECD governments, report finds
- Young #women generally more likely to have a degree but still less likely to study in lucrative #STEM fields
- "Leaky pipeline to top jobs": #Women still only make up 1/3 of managers in OECD countries
- The #Motherhood penalty - gender gaps in #employment widen after bringing home the baby
- In the pursuit of #GenderEquality, it helps to have all the facts & #stats at your fingertips
COUNTRY-SPECIFIC highlightS
- Australia (English)
- Canada (English & French)
- France (English & French)
- Germany (English & German)
- Italy (English & Italian)
- Japan (English & Japanese)
- Korea (English & Korean)
- Mexico (English & Spanish)
- Netherlands (English & Dutch)
- United Kingdom (English)
- United States (English)
Key facts and data
OECD gender Recommendations
- 2013 OECD Recommendation of the Council on Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship
- 2015 OECD Recommendation of the Council on Gender Equality in Public Life
RELATED OECD DATABASES
- OECD Gender Data Portal
- OECD Education Database
- OECD Employment Database
- OECD Family Database
- OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI)
RELATED OECD programmes
- Gender Budgeting
- OECD-DAC Aid in Support of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment
- OECD-MENA Governance Programme: Gender Equality in Public Life
- OECD Women in Government Programme
- Wikigender
further reading
- Downes, R., L. von Trapp, & S. Nicol, (2017), "Gender budgeting in OECD countries", OECD Journal on Budgeting, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 1-37
- OECD (2017), Building an Inclusive Mexico: Policies and Good Governance for Gender Equality
- OECD (2017), Dare to Share: Germany's Experience Promoting Equal Partnership in Families
- OECD (2016), Gender Equality in the Pacific Alliance: Promoting Women's Economic Empowerment
- OECD/INFE (2016), OECD/INFE International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy Competencies
- OECD (2015), The ABC of Gender Equality in Education: Aptitude, Behaviour, Confidence
- OECD (2014), Women, Government and Policy Making in OECD Countries: Fostering Diversity for Inclusive Growth
- OECD/CAWTAR (2014), Women in Public Life: Gender, Law and Policy in the Middle East and North Africa
- OECD (2013), Women and Financial Education: Evidence, Policy Responses and Guidance